The name of this organization shall be “The Libertarian Party of San Francisco” or “Region 38” of the Libertarian Party of California, also referred to hereafter as the LPSF.

Article II. Purpose

The goal of the Libertarian Party of San Francisco shall be to advance the cause of liberty in every honorable way, bearing in mind the adage, “Think globally, act locally.” We hold advancing the cause of liberty to mean promoting laws, policies and actions which are in accordance with the non-aggression principle: That one is free to do as one wishes, provided it harms no one else. Pursuant to this goal, we seek to implement the Statement of Purpose of the National Libertarian Party and the purpose and activities of the Libertarian Party of California within the city and county of San Francisco.

As part of the Libertarian Party of California, the LPSF shall be the official voice of the Libertarian Party within Region 38, and shall manage and control a share of dues paid to the party, such share to be determined by the Libertarian Party of California in accordance with its Constitution.

Article III. Membership

Voting membership in the Libertarian Party of San Francisco shall be open to all persons, irrespective of race, creed, color, gender, denomination, sexual orientation, age, residency, or legal ability to vote. Persons who have signed the Libertarian Party’s non-aggression pledge and who have made application and paid such dues as may be prescribed by the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of California, shall be considered voting members.

Questions regarding whether an individual is qualified to vote shall be affirmatively resolved by the Secretary determining that the individual is in the database as a current voting member. This requirement may be waived by a majority of the officers, provided the person fulfills on the spot the conditions described in the paragraph above prior to voting.

All other persons currently registered to vote as Libertarians and residing within the City and County of San Francisco are considered non-voting members.

Article IV. Executive Committee

Section 1. Officers

The Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of San Francisco shall consist of the following officers: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. No individual may hold more than one office, except as noted under Section 3 below. Officers must be duly qualified voting members of the LPSF.

Section 2. Duties of Officers

The Chair shall preside at all meetings and functions of the party and shall have general supervision of the work of the organization. The Chair shall publish electronically to other online members an agenda for each party meeting or similar event no later than one week preceding the event or meeting. The Chair shall be responsible for generating all meeting agendas, including any items requested for inclusion by voting members, in such a manner as to ensure that the organization meets its obligations in a timely manner and seizes opportunities which present themselves. The Chair may call meetings of the Executive Committee as described in Article V, Section 2.

The Vice-Chair shall perform the duties of the Chair in that person’s absence, or may fill in when so requested by the Chair.

The Secretary shall take minutes at all meetings and similar party functions, and maintain this information in a database accessible to other officers and party members. The Secretary shall publish the minutes of each event or meeting electronically to other online members no later than one week following the event or meeting.

The Treasurer shall receive and be custodian of all funds of the party and shall pay all bills. The Treasurer shall keep an account of all monies received and disbursed, and shall make a full report of the organization’s finances at each regular monthly meeting, or as directed by the Chair, and shall file all proper reports as required by law. The Treasurer shall promptly reimburse other officers or party members for out-of-pocket expenses authorized by the Executive Committee.

Section 3. Terms of Office and Vacancies

The term of office for Executive Committee members shall be one year, beginning at the first meeting of the calendar year and ending at the first calendar meeting of the following year.

If an officer’s term has expired or an officer wishes to resign during his/her term and there is no one willing to fill the office, another officer may temporarily take on the title and duties of the vacant office until such time as a successor is elected. The Chair and Vice-Chair positions however, may never be occupied by the same person. When an office is vacant or being filled by another officer, a call for nominations shall be made at each regular meeting or similar event of the organization until the vacancy is filled.

Article V. Meetings

Section 1. General meetings

The Libertarian Party of San Francisco shall hold monthly general meetings in San Francisco, on a regular day or date, time, and location to be determined by the Executive Committee. All voting members shall be sent written notification of any change in the day, date, time, or location of such meetings. Failure to contact all voting members shall not be construed as evidence of improper procedure if good-faith efforts to notify members took place.

Decisions made by the LPSF at general meetings shall be made on the basis of a majority of those voting members present. The exceptions are voting to amend this document or to impeach an officer, actions which require a two-thirds majority vote of those voting members present.

Each officer has one vote, equal to the vote of a voting member. All decisions duly made by the membership at a monthly meeting are binding on the Executive Committee, and previous decisions of the Executive Committee may be overruled by the voting members at such meetings.

Monthly meetings of the LPSF shall be open to the public, however the party reserves the right to exclude non-members from any meeting.

Section 2. Executive Committee meetings

The Libertarian Party of San Francisco Chair may call meetings of the Executive Committee as noted in Article IV, Section 2. The Chair must give at least one week’s notice to each officer, or failing this, may call a meeting on shorter notice with the consent of the other officers.

No decisions may be made or action taken by the Executive Committee of the LPSF unless a majority of officers are present. This rule may be waived if the officer or officers whose presence is necessary to make up a quorum give(s) specific authorization to conduct a decision-making meeting in his/her/their absence.

Significant decisions and actions of the Executive Committee shall be announced at the next general meeting, and published electronically to voting members online as soon as reasonably possible.

Article VI. Elections

Election of all officers of the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of San Francisco, and all LPSF delegates and alternate delegates to the State Convention of the Libertarian Party of California, shall occur at duly constituted meetings as noted in Article V.

If any member present so proposes, election shall be by secret written ballot from among those nominated and who agree to serve if selected, otherwise election shall be by open vote.

The number of delegates and alternates to be selected shall be the number determined by the state party Secretary.

In the event that an elected delegate or alternate fails to attend any session of the State Convention, any member of the Executive Committee in good standing may take the individual’s place by following the state party’s procedures for credentialing.

Article VII. Conflict

In the event of any conflict or ambiguity arising between the constitution and bylaws adopted hereunder and the constitution of the Libertarian Party of California, the latter shall prevail.

Amendment I.

(revised 11 September 2004)

The procedures for the LPSF taking positions on ballot measures and candidates for office shall be as follows:

Formal endorsements shall only be given to Libertarian candidates, or those exceptional non-Libertarian candidates whose beliefs are clearly in accordance with the platform and philosophy of the Libertarian Party. Only candidates who have the LPSF’s endorsement may list the party as a supporting organization.

The LPSF may, however, issue recommendations on which candidates and ballot measures are deemed worthy of the pro-liberty vote, given the available alternatives.

(revised 11 September 2004) Candidate recommendations, as well as positions for or against ballot measures, shall be made on the basis of a majority vote by members present at the endorsement meeting and any proxy votes that are either sent by mail or by such electronic transmission methods as may be approved by the LPSF and are received by the time the vote is tallied; or, if there is not the opportunity to take such a vote in a timely manner before the election, by a unanimous vote of the Executive Committee.

(revised 10 August 2002) Endorsement or recommendation of candidates and positions on ballot measures shall be considered at the last monthly meeting which is at least one full month before any scheduled election. If an election or the candidates or measures therein are announced when the next monthly meeting is less than one full month before the election, endorsements and recommendations shall be considered at the very next monthly meeting. In addition, endorsements and recommendations may be considered at any meeting if notice is given to the membership one month in advance.

When possible, the LPSF will invite candidates and proponents and opponents of ballot measures to appear at the party’s endorsement meeting. If a candidate is invited to appear and declines to do so, the candidate shall not be recommended unless members specifically vote to make an exception and do so. The LPSF may or may not take positions on state or national races or measures in accordance with the wishes of members. Where there is a lack of consensus, a ¾ majority shall decide the question.

The LPSF’s voting recommendations shall be published in the Golden Gate Libertarian newsletter prior to the election in question, including a tally of how many votes were cast for, and against, or to take no position on each candidate and measure voted upon.

For offices where voters have several votes to allocate among a field of candidates, members will cast votes for a number of candidates equal to the number of vacant seats. Candidates selected will have their names printed in descending order by the number of votes they received from LPSF members. However if a candidate does not get any votes, he or she will not be recommended even if the number of recommendations is less than the number of open seats.